Born of the New York No Wave scene, The Contortions sole album, originally released in 1979, might sound Beefheartian to the lazy ear, as James Chances sax and accusatory vocals squawk and yelp through random slashes of slide guitar. Further acquaintance, however, suggests that the bands music approximates what Pere Ubu might have sounded like had they signed to 2-Tone or Stiff  the thin, wiry organ behind I Dont Want To Be Happy, for example, is pure Specials or Attractions. The kind of apparently random melodic construction found on the good Captains best albums is absent here; for all their avant garde intentions these songs conform pretty rigidly to common time. Although Chance is all over the shop  as he sings at one point, My idea of fun is being whipped on the back of my thighs/I prefer the ridiculous to the sublime  I cant quite shake the suspicion that the notes employed could be easily rearranged into something far more harmonious.

At times Buy can be quite fun, in a masochistic sort of way  the elastic Contort Yourself, for example, on which Reverend Chance preaches his gospel of non-conformity  but over the space of an entire (albeit short) album the appeal wears perilously thin. Being a product of San Franciscoreissue specialists 4 Men With Beards, this pressing of Buy arrives on chunky vinyl, but without the contextualising essays found on some of the companys other releases.

Released simultaneously with his Contortions-credited album Buy, on Off White White, unsurprisingly, offers more of the same. That is, an elastic funk/free jazz hybrid that sounds like early Talking Heads jamming with Ornette Coleman. Proceedings begin disappointingly, with an almost disco remake of Buys high point, Contort Yourself, stripped of its playful Contort yourself one time/Contort yourself two times countdowns. Stained Sheets follows, an obscene phone call soundtracked by squalling sax and police siren organ. A version of Irving Berlins (Tropical) Heat Wave is less a leap into the bizarre than a lurch towards melody, albeit still sabotaged by Chances crazed horn playing and some rudely inquisitive slide guitar.

Unfortunately the sequencing of Off White divides the album into a side of songs followed by a side of instrumentals, and its the latter that really taxes the patience. These lyricless tracks seem to have no focal point  blame it on the basslines, perhaps  and soon you start to miss Chances atonal yelping, his atonal alto sax being a poor substitute.

Off White works, if at all, as a companion volume to Buy, but if youre after a single James White purchase you might as well stick with the latter. Nevertheless, as its becoming increasingly difficult to buy these albums separately, you may be spared the choice. Again, this vinyl reissue doesnt display the kind of attention to detail lavished on other 4 Men With Beards releases, perhaps in acknowledgement of its No Wave roots  if its pressed on 180 grams of anything, it feels like spittle and shellac.